Thinking that Jeremiah’s cold reaction was due to what had happened in the study, Caroline sighed and said.

“What else could it be? It’s because of Geuneun Youngsik.”

As expected, when Geuneun Youngsik was mentioned, Jeremiah’s expression worsened.

“Wouldn’t it be better to quickly admonish him and kick him out? There’s no need to keep him locked up in prison.”

“I will make the judgment and decision.”

It was a clear statement drawing the line, telling her not to meddle unnecessarily.

As Geuneun Youngsik was mentioned, Karina interjected with a timely expression.

“I just went to the prison to see Geuneun Youngsik earlier.”

“…And?”

“Geuneun Youngsik said something interesting. He said there was someone else who planned and suggested what happened in the study today.”

Saying this, Karina fixed a cold gaze on Caroline.

It was a gaze that explicitly implied ‘It was you’.

“…”

People started to murmur at that intense gaze.

To this, Karina drove the final nail.

“What were you thinking when you orchestrated such a thing? Caroline.”

“…!”

“Huh!”

As Caroline was openly pointed out as the mastermind, people gasped in surprise.

All eyes around focused on them.

No one opened their mouth, creating a silence so deep that even breathing could be heard.

“Nonsense. I know nothing about this.”

Caroline snorted and feigned ignorance.

“Even though there’s evidence?”

“Evidence? What evidence?”

Caroline acted confidently, as if daring Karina to present it.

Karina gestured towards a corner of the venue.

There, a maid stood trembling and fidgeting, completely cowed.

It was the maid who had tried to pass the note to Geuneun.

“This maid who works under the Grand Duchess came to me saying she had something to deliver to Geuneun Youngsik in prison.”

Karina took out the note she had seen earlier.

“This is the note that maid was trying to give to Geuneun Youngsik.”

Karina unfolded the note in front of everyone for all to see.

“Do you still intend to deny it?”

Caroline, with a sneer on her lips, spoke as if it was ridiculous.

“I don’t remember writing such a thing. I don’t even recognize that maid’s face.”

Saying this, Caroline glared at where the maid was standing and said.

“If you still want to say that I wrote this note, shouldn’t you ask that maid directly?”

The maid’s face turned ashen with fear under Caroline’s gaze.

As soon as people’s attention turned to her, the maid shook her head frantically, tears welling up in her eyes.

Karina, who had anticipated Caroline would react this way, smirked.

‘You think you can escape by pretending not to know? Not a chance.’

“This isn’t the only evidence.”

At Karina’s words, the attention of those around turned back to her.

“Caroline. I heard you wrote a promissory note to Geuneun Youngsik offering him a large sum of money when you proposed today’s incident.”

“…!”

For a moment, Caroline’s eyes widened and her pupils trembled slightly at Karina’s words.

“That never happened.”

Mocking Caroline for telling such an easily exposed lie, Karina continued speaking with a relaxed attitude.

“You also said you’d give him an antique five-story mansion in the Lengton area, didn’t you?”

“I’m telling you I know nothing about this. I don’t understand why you’re framing an innocent person. You’re not doing this because I said something hurtful to the Grand Duchess earlier, are you?”

Caroline brazenly feigned ignorance.

She tried to turn the tables by treating Karina as if she were being unreasonable.

“Since you keep denying it despite the evidence, I have no choice.”

Smiling with upturned corners of her mouth, Karina took out some documents and waved them gently for everyone to see.

“What’s that?”

To Jeremiah’s question, Karina answered.

“These are the promissory note and the mansion transfer deed that Geuneun Youngsik handed over as evidence, saying my words were true.”

Jeremiah’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at her words.

“Your handwritten signature is right here, Caroline.”

“…!”

Caroline’s signature was clearly stamped on the bottom right of the document.

“Oh my…!”

Exclamations escaped from the lips of some people standing nearby.

“Is everything the Grand Duchess said true?”

“Looking at the corroborating documents with the signature, it seems to be real, doesn’t it?”

Those who had been listening to the conversation between Karina and Caroline began to murmur.

“Good heavens, to think that what happened earlier was orchestrated by the Grand Duchess.”

“What exactly happened earlier?”

“Well, you see, earlier in the study, Geuneun Youngsik…”

People began to bring up that story again, one after another.

Karina calmly held out the documents to Jeremiah.

“Your Grace. Please check for yourself.”

“…”

Jeremiah took the documents.

His expression hardened as he confirmed the contents.

A vein popped on his temple as he recognized Caroline’s handwritten signature.

The paper crumpled as he gripped it with excessive force.

“No! It’s true that I gave Geuneun Youngsik a promissory note, but it was in the name of a business investment.”

Caroline spoke in a hurried voice.

“I can show you the contract if you need it. Really.”

Karina smiled sardonically and asked.

“Business investment, you say. Then how do you explain the mansion transfer deed?”

At Karina’s question, Caroline’s eyes bulged.

But while glaring fiercely at her, she desperately argued.

“Geuneun Youngsik said he was starting a new business but didn’t have a suitable space, so I just provided him with a location. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Without saying a word to me?”

A low voice flowed from Jeremiah.

That voice was chillingly cold, unlike his usual tone.

“That’s…!”

Caroline bit her lower lip once, then took a breath and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Yes. I was wrong to make an investment contract without saying anything. But that’s really all there is to it.”

Seeing Caroline trying to wriggle out of it again, Karina interjected with an expression that said ‘not a chance’.

“That’s very different from what Geuneun Youngsik said, isn’t it?”

“Geuneun Youngsik lied. He must have gotten greedy for the huge investment.”

Caroline pretended to be shocked, holding her forehead and breathing heavily.

“I’m really surprised too. I never thought Geuneun Youngsik would slander me like this.”

That sight was so distasteful.

“Then why did you hide the fact that you made an investment contract with Geuneun Youngsik?”

“Hide? The Grand Duchess is really speaking strangely. I didn’t hide it, I was just going to tell you later. I was too busy and preoccupied because of the charity event.”

Caroline spoke while staring directly at Karina.

It was a gaze filled with clear disdain, as if saying ‘Did you really think someone like you could touch me?’

Karina snickered as if she wasn’t affected at all.

“Then what about this?”

As Karina signaled to Mikhail, he brought in children who had been waiting outside into the banquet hall.

“Wow!”

“It’s so big!”

“It’s really warm!”

About a dozen young children entered the hall, exclaiming in amazement.

But despite their bright-eyed expressions, the children’s appearance was shabby and shabby.

Their heads and faces were grimy from not being washed well, and their hands and under their nails were dirty with grime.

Some children were even dripping snot due to their thin clothes in the cold weather.

“What? What are those?”

Caroline frowned.

The other nobles in the hall were also bewildered, not knowing what was going on as the children suddenly entered.

“Come here, everyone.”

At Karina’s call, the children approached.

“Caroline. Do you know these children?”

Karina asked Caroline.

Caroline was wearing an expression of complete ignorance.

At that moment.

One child who had been looking at the sparkling jewels on Caroline’s dress hem sneezed.

“Achoo!”

“Ugh!”

Caroline frowned deeply and got angry.

“Where do you think you’re sneezing! How filthy!”

Caroline roughly pushed the child away.

“Wah!”

The pushed child fell backwards with a thud.

“What are you doing!”

Karina quickly approached the fallen child and comforted the startled child.

Caroline snorted as if she couldn’t believe it and said.

“Grand Duchess! Are you in your right mind? What is this place that you’re bringing in these dirty beggars?”

Caroline continued in a lecturing tone, as if she had caught Karina red-handed.

“No matter how much of a charity event it is, this isn’t a place made to bring in beggars from the streets and feed them. Did you offer to host the event without even knowing that?”

“I know. This event was organized with the intention of properly looking into the status of relief work and charity projects in the North.”

Karina replied calmly while examining each of the children.

“That’s why I brought these children.”

“…?”

Caroline wore an expression of not understanding what was going on.

“Caroline. Do you really not know these children?”

“How would I know these beggar children? I really don’t understand what you’re trying to do right now.”

At Caroline’s answer that she didn’t know, Karina sneered.

“It’s really strange. These children are from the Elior Orphanage, which you support as part of your poverty relief project.”

“…!”

The hall stirred at Karina’s single statement.

“I hear that the support funds going into Elior Orphanage amount to 100 gold every month. I’d like an explanation as to why the children look like this, Caroline.”

At the mention of 100 gold per month, people started whispering.

“They receive support funds of 100 gold every month, they say.”

“The orphanage is receiving that much money in support?”

“Isn’t 100 gold the level of a month’s operating expenses for a decent noble family?”

“Then why do the children look like that?”

“They’re so skinny, I thought they were real beggars at first.”

“That’s right. I wonder if they’re even feeding them properly.”

“How did they use all that support money…”

An expression of dismay appeared on Caroline’s face.

This was because the authority over the northern relief projects was officially under her responsibility, with the pretext of helping the Grand Duchess.

“I don’t know anything about this. I only heard that… the orphanage director manages the orphanage’s affairs…”

Caroline racked her brains to find a way out.

Seeing this, Karina smiled mockingly.

Karina wanted to jeer at Caroline’s flimsy excuse.

“Sure, Caroline. As if this is the only thing you don’t know about.”

After delivering this sarcastic remark, Karina gestured to Mikhail, who was waiting with a pile of documents in his hands.

“Here they are.”

Mikhail handed over the pile of documents to Karina.

“Caroline. These are various contracts you’ve signed. Besides the contracts, there are ledgers recording the improper profits you’ve taken, bribes, and details of your backdoor dealings.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

Caroline wore a dumbfounded expression.

“It seems like there’s an awful lot you can’t remember, so I’m going to explain each one in detail.”

Karina continued speaking with a bright smile.

“It might not feel real just looking at it like this. It’s okay. I felt the same way at first, so I understand completely.”

Karina opened the first document and began to read the contents one by one.

“It says here that in exchange for supporting Elior Orphanage as part of the poverty relief project, you agreed to receive half of the support funds as tribute. To your personal trust, Caroline. In exchange for providing investment funds to Lupins Shipping, you agreed to receive 40% of the annual imports of diamonds and rubies from abroad as tribute. From Dipello Investment Group…”

As Karina’s words continued, Caroline’s eyes widened remarkably.

Her emotional turmoil was clearly visible.

The business representatives who had exchanged greetings with Caroline were sweating profusely, looking anxious that their names might be mentioned next.

“S-stop!”

Caroline, who had barely regained her senses, shouted as if screaming.

“This is all slander!!”